


Turbulence

by jencsi



Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:33:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27492733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jencsi/pseuds/jencsi
Summary: What if I fall?Oh but my darling, what if you fly?Post High and Low. Like way post. Try fifteen years post.
Relationships: Julie "Finn" Finlay/Nick Stokes
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Turbulence

"Where are we going?” she asks again for what must have been the hundredth time. 

“It’s a surprise,” he insisted, smirking from behind the wheel as he drove to this mystery location. 

She shot him a look of annoyance and possible revenge being plotted behind her bright blue green eyes at his secrecy. Nevertheless, she settled back in her seat and watched the city melt away into suburbs and eventually rural areas then straight desert. As the road started becoming more uneven and less paved, she started getting worried that they were getting lost or misled. 

“Are you sure this is the right way?” she asked again out of concern for their well being. 

“Yes darlin’,” he assured her softly. 

Almost as soon as she started to worry that they were not safe, a building loomed into view after not seeing anything remotely life sustaining for several miles. It was a sudden splotch of white and beige on a dusty landscape that stood out awkwardly amongst the desert flora. She squinted trying to determine what it was or who might occupy it that he would know. The building sprawled across several acres and she spotted a helicopter parked on a landing pad as if it were just a casual street. 

“Nick,” she says his name in a concerned tone “what is this place?”

“You’ll see,” he keeps leaving her to guess and wonder and she hates that. 

He turns the car into a semi deserted parking lot area, roped off from the main road with painted lines to dictate where to park. The dust rises up around them as they exit the car and start walking up to the biggest looking building on the property. He seems confident, she hesitates, lingering in her walk behind him, unsure. He cannot help but smirk at having the upper hand in this moment. 

As they get closer to the building, she sees a black outline painting of a person wearing a parachute, poised to jump out of a plane, followed by another outline of someone skydiving, soaring through the air and the final outline of someone landing on the ground. She starts to connect the dots and put the pieces together and her heart beats furiously against her chest, nerves beginning to rattle. 

When they finally reach the front walkway of the building, she sees open storefront style windows advertising lessons, gear and supplies needed for successful air acrobatics. 

“No,” she says stopping in her tracks “no way, Nick this is not safe.”

He turns, catching her worried look as she fumbles forward and reaches out to touch his arm with both her hands, latching on tightly. 

“You can’t be serious,” she shakes her head “skydiving?” 

“That’s not why we’re here,” he assures her with a kiss to her forehead, messing up the criss crossed part on top “just trust me okay?” 

She wants to, she really does, but something stirs in her chest and a bubble of fear creeps up in her stomach. She continues to hold his arm with both her hands, lowering them so that her hand locks around his hand, safe, secure. With that sense of security, he turns and continues to walk with her, hand in hand, into the building. 

Inside, they are blasted with cool air conditioning and surrounded by gear; backpacks, ropes, parachutes, various hooks and tools for rock climbing, kayaks and boat supplies, tools for bikes and repairs, keychains and lanyards, minuscule things for the everyday. Behind the counter, a man emerges, holding a clipboard, seeming to recognize Nick as he zips around the counter space to greet them. He looks more like a surfer dude with his wavy blonde hair and tan complexion than a skydiving instructor. 

“Hey man, long time no see,” he says, jokingly punching Nick's arm. 

“Yeah sorry,” Nick says “been busy you know, work.”

“I get it,” the man says, looking at Finn now with interest. 

“Babe this is Pete,” Nick introduces Finn now “owner and operator of this fine establishment.”

Finn keeps her hold on Nick’s hand as she shakes hands with Pete who smiles. 

“So this is the real reason you haven’t been back,” Pete deduces of Finn’s girlfriend status in Nick’s life. 

“Sort of,” Nick says sheepishly. 

“So, are we both making jumps today?” Pete asks. 

“Yeah,” Nick says with enthusiasm at the same time Finn utters a vehement “No,” and shakes her head. 

She gapes at Nick, who smiles and squeezes her hand reassuringly. 

“It’ll be fun,” he promises her as her heart starts to beat frantically again. 

“No, no way,” she shakes her head again “I can’t do that, it’s too dangerous.” 

“Well you don’t fly solo,” Pete explained “Nick or I or one of the instructors will be with you, the harness set up is really simple and safe, and you only float for a few minutes before landing.” 

Finn scrunches her face in confusion and indecision. She wants to try new things, to be part of Nick’s life and the things he enjoys, but her own fear is clouding her emotions and love for him. 

She steals glances around at all the equipment, at the open mountains and desert landscape outside the large glass windows, she imagines falling, but not getting hurt, then getting hurt, and Nick, after all he’s been through, seems to enjoy this risky pastime. When she looks back at Nick, he’s waiting for her answer and all she can do is make a quiet whimper in protest as she mumbles “Okay,” in defeat and acceptance. 

“You’re gonna love it,” Nick promises her with another kiss as she pushes her head against his shoulder, trusting him but also feeling terribly anxious. 

Nick and Pete guide her into a space where they suit up in jumpsuits similar to their work outfits. They get helmets and protective goggles and head back outside to the take off area. Pete starts setting up a contraption she isn’t familiar with, a harness for two people, ropes and canopies, this doesn’t look like skydiving. 

“Nick,” she calls to him as he suits up in his gear as if he has done this a million times. 

“What babe?” he asks.

“I thought we were skydiving?” she questions him with worried eyes. 

“Nah, paragliding,” he corrects her “watch Pete and I go first.” 

“What?” she mutters, that awful whimper escaping her again as he walks away with Pete to an area further out and away from the buildings. 

She scampers to keep up with them, seeing Nick take off from the angled hilltop before she can even say anything. Stunned, she watches him circle the area, seeming to fly freely but securely with the harnesses and ropes attached to the canopy that flaps above him in the warm breeze. Pete follows and they soar together, never getting close but she can hear them cheering at their successful flights. She stands there, hair whipping around in the breeze, watching the flight, eyes straining to focus on them against the bright sun and stinging wind. She hugs herself, taking in the scenery, noticing how calm and collected Nick is while doing this dangerous stunt. 

When Pete and Nick land feet away from each other back at the homebase, she hesitates to approach, watching instead, Nick adjusts the harness and ropes as he unhooks himself from the contraption. 

They start walking back to Finn with their gear who is standing there, seemingly shellshocked. 

“See,” Nick tells her “it's easy.”

“But-” she stammers, trying to find some excuse or way out of this. 

“Why don’t you do a practice run with me first?” Pete offers. 

Finn looks at Nick who just keeps smiling and softly reassuring her. 

“That’s a good idea,” he agrees, touching her cheek gently with his hand, brushing away tangled strands of her hair. She reaches up to touch his hand with her trembling one, craving his warmth in the moment, hating herself for being so nervous. She was a champ at softball and tennis and getting the beat down on suspects, but this, this was out of her league. In one final act of reassurance, Nick kisses her cheek, bumping gently against hers as he whispers in her ear “You got this,” and she nods as he guides her to Pete who sets up the harness for a second run and to accommodate a passenger. She keeps stealing glances at Nick as they start walking towards the launch hill a few yards away. He just continues to smile and nod reassuringly, smitten with her in this moment, happy to see her willing to try this for him but knowing it’s scary for her. 

He watches her settle into the harness and watches Pete wait for the perfect moment, testing the wind and the canopy before finding the sweet spot and taking off with her. The air leaves her chest as she gasps. She closes her eyes but feels dizzy so she opens them, seeing the landscape beneath her. The canopy gets pulled one way by the wind, then regains control by Pete who turns them to see better views of the mountains. She cannot get a handle on the moment, it’s not a rollercoaster or a plane, it’s not falling or flying, it’s floating, maybe, she struggles to describe it. She was grateful for the sense to tie her hair up in a messy ponytail before the takeoff. Her eyes water behind the protective clear goggles but the views are amazing. She wishes she had a camera that she could use if she wasn’t so terrified. 

After what feels like hours but is only a few minutes, Pete guides them back to the landing area where her feet touch the ground in a mixture of relief and confusion in their short time in the air. Her legs buckle beneath her as she stumbles and struggles to stand but Pete helps her stay steady. 

“How was that?” he asks but she can’t answer him yet, the words won’t come out properly. 

She hears Nick beside her, cheering, praising her flight with an exuberant “You did it!” 

He catches her as she stumbles into his embrace. She pushes her forehead against his, having ripped off the glasses and helmet. He holds her face in his hands, feeling her shake in his arms. Her hair is even more tangled than it was before but she seems okay. 

“See, told you it was fun,” he soothes her. 

She nods but a whimper escapes her again, her hands coming up to grab at his and hold on for dear life. He can’t help but chuckle at her mixed emotions at this moment. 

“You don’t have to do it again if you don’t want to,” he assures her, pulling her against him for a proper secure hug. He sways with her gently as she lets out a tiny sob of relief. 

“Next time,” she chokes out, fingers clutching the fabric of his suit, clinging to him and the solid ground. 

“Absolutely,” he agrees, patting her back but smiling and giving a thumbs up to Pete who smiles at their success. 

“Mind if I do a few more flights?” Nick asks Finn who nods and reluctantly lets him go. 

She sits nearby on benches with Pete, organizing the gear and watching Nick fly. 

“I can’t believe he’s been keeping this a secret from me,” she shakes her head in disbelief as she sets her helmet and goggles down. 

“I can’t believe he didn’t tell me about you,” Pete complains of Nick’s offence and Finn rolls her eyes. 

“Seriously though,” Pete says folding up the large canopy “I’ve been training him and watching him fly for almost fifteen years or so now and he’s never looked happier than he is right now, with you.” 

He adds that to make sure Finn knows the flying is not the only thing bringing Nick joy. 

“You think so?” she asks to be sure but knows in her heart that it’s true. 

“Definitely,” Pete says, rolling up some loose ropes “man’s been through hell and still keeps a smile, but don’t we all?” 

Finn shrugs as she asks “He told you what happened to him?” 

“Which time?” Pete tests her and they realize just how horrifying the job is. 

“And each time something happened, he came here to forget about it,” Pete adds “who needs therapy?”

“What about you?” Pete asks, inquiring about her horrors on the job. 

“About the same,” she says, pushing her hair back to show him the scar on her forehead from the attack and coma not so long ago. 

Pete winces and shakes his head. 

“Sorry,” he adds “looks like you guys found each other just in time huh?” 

Finn is distracted as Nick makes another loop around the mountain and she hears his cheer echo across the landscape. 

“Yeah, we did.” she admits, smiling. 

Nick makes a few more flights before landing and meeting them back in the shop. He looks windswept but ecstatic as he greets her with a passionate kiss. He pays Pete for the lessons and time and walks hand in hand with Finn back to the car. A couple of hours in the sun and wind has exhausted them both but he keeps one hand on the steering wheel as he drives, the other rests on her leg. She curls up in her seat and lays her head on his shoulder, sighing beautifully. 

“That really was fun,” she confesses, wanting him to know that she was appreciative of him and all his hobbies he shared with her. 

“Told you,” he says, gloating just a little bit. 

She’s warm as she curls up against him, dozing on the long ride home, her hand slipping from his and falling uncurled across the arm rest. They are almost home and stopped at a red light when he sees a text message come through on his phone that is hooked up to the dashboard display. He sneaks a peek at the message from Pete with an attached photo; a picture of them after her landing, wrapped in his arms, foreheads pressed together, looking at ease, candid. He smirks, happy to see this moment captured by Pete when they weren’t looking. 

With the light still red, he turns his attention to her, taking in her windswept hair, freckles and soft skin, thinking of how she left him breathless just like the flights over the mountains, she was his safe landing spot and chaotic flight at the same time, bringing with her sunshine and warmth, soaring across his heart, tugging at the canopy and ropes that made up his twisted soul, guiding him in the right direction, back to her, to life.


End file.
